REVIEW: Blue Bell Black Raspberry Fudge Ice Cream

/ / Reviews / 3 Comments

Black raspberry not blackberry

I do not know much about pomology, and in fact did not know the word existed until about two minutes before I started typing this sentence.

For the non-pomologists out there, which I’m guessing is just about everyone reading this, it means the study of fruits and nuts, and in particular, their cultivation. Why is this relevant? Because I had to pretend to be a pomologist, poorly, I might add, to figure out Blue Bell’s new Black Raspberry Fudge Ice Cream.

If you showed this to me, I'd tell you it's a blackberry.

The packaging, to my untrained eye, appears to show a blackberry, but I guess that’s actually a black raspberry. According to my tens of seconds of pomology research, a black raspberry has a hollow core and is sweeter than the solid-cored blackberry, which is also a great phone that I weirdly still miss. Adding to the confusion, the list of ingredients for this includes both black raspberries and blackberries. And don’t get me started on blue raspberries, which apparently only exist in Slurpees and snow cones and not in nature.

The flavor is also available in a pint size.

Anyway, now that the pomology lesson is complete, let’s talk about how this ice cream tastes. As a veteran eater of many blackberry cobblers, I can tell you this has a distinct, wonderful blackberry flavor. Could it also be black raspberry? I guess…I’m not sure I’ve ever had a black raspberry, so I can’t say for sure. But I am certain that the dark chocolate-flavored chunks are plentiful and delicious with a truly fudgy flavor, and they are quite thick, adding a nice crunch.

Moar swirls!!!

My only complaint is that the chocolate fudge swirl is sparse, and it would have been great to have thicker ribbons of it throughout. That’s just a minor issue, though, because the pairing of whatever berry flavor this is with chocolatey fudge chunks and swirl is perfectly rich and decadent.

It's so purple!

It’s always a tough call on whether to pick up a pint or a half gallon for an ice cream review, but I made the right choice with the big tub, and there is no danger of the dreaded ice crystals forming because the contents are unlikely to make it until next week.

Purchased Price: $8.99
Size: Half Gallon
Purchased at: Brookshire Brothers
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 240 calories, 13 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 75 milligrams of sodium, 28 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 25 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Dairy Queen Fruity Pebbles Shake

/ / Reviews / Leave a Comment

Dairy Queen Fruity Pebbles Shake with top on

If I were to be crowned Dairy King, I would decree that ice cream is a perfectly acceptable breakfast food. But Dairy Queen beat me to it with the new “Breakfast Collection” that includes the Choco Frosted Donut Blizzard, Cinnamon Toast Crunch Dipped Cone, and Fruity Pebbles Shake. As a dutiful peasant of the Kingdom of Dairy, I honored the crown by partaking in all three offerings. In this review, I hereby declare that the Fruity Pebbles Shake is indeed glorious, though with one caveat.

Dairy Queen Fruity Pebbles Shake with whipped topping

I had muted expectations for this shake, as I assumed it would take some kind of wizardly magic to keep the Fruity Pebbles from turning mushy in their ice cream bath. And while I’m a big fan of any sugar- and/or color-enhanced cereal, I’ve always preferred Cap’n Crunch (Crunch Berries, of course) or Lucky Charms. It turns out, however, that as the kids say, this really slaps.

Dairy Queen Fruity Pebbles Shake with vanilla soft serve and Fruity Pebbles cereal.

The fruity flavor of the fancy Rice Krispies in this shake is astounding. Plus, this is just fun to look at and to eat. I was not prepared for the delicious punch of sweetness that paired perfectly with the creaminess of the vanilla ice cream and milk. It truly was a wonderful combination packed with flavor.

Fruity Pebbles does not stay crispy in soft serve

The aforementioned caveat is that it seems Dairy Queen’s best wizard could not suspend the laws of physics involved with putting Fruity Pebbles into a liquid, which I guess is how a shake would be classified. I wouldn’t say the cereal turned soggy, but it also wasn’t crispy in any sense. I wolfed down the shake with impressive speed, so I imagine if I had done so at a more leisurely pace, then perhaps sogginess would have entered the chat. The texture was just a tad off-putting, but aside from that, this is a delicious, not-so-nutritious “breakfast.”

As a side note, I learned in my review of the Choco Frosted Donut Blizzard that some Dairy Queens serve actual breakfast food during breakfast hours. Unfortunately, there are no DQs in my area that are open for breakfast, so the best I could do was have this shake shortly after 10 a.m. But I assume you can get the Breakfast Collection items before the sun comes up if you are lucky enough to live near a breakfast-enabled DQ.

Purchased Price: $3.99
Size: Small
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 500 calories, 23 grams of fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 210 milligrams of sodium, 64 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 52 grams of sugar, and 11 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Dairy Queen Cinnamon Toast Crunch Dipped Cone with Cinnadust

/ / Reviews / 2 Comments

The sweating Dairy Queen Cinnamon Toast Crunch Dipped Cone

I’ve had more Dairy Queen Blizzards than any dietician or doctor would ever recommend, but I don’t believe I’ve ever had a DQ dipped cone of any sort. That all changed when I strolled into DQ and ordered up the new Cinnamon Toast Crunch Dipped Cone with Cinnadust. It’s part of the new “Breakfast Collection,” which, despite the name, is available all day. It turns out, I have been missing out.

I’m not sure I would have been impressed by a standard chocolate-dipped cone, but this upscale version did get my attention. I did not see it being made, as my local DQ has the kitchen and treat preparation area hidden from view, but the DQ website implies a two-step process with the vanilla cone dipped in a cinnamon coating and then sprinkled with Cinnadust. The result is splendidly sweet cinnamon goodness.

See the Cinnadust?

When the cone was delivered to my table, it appeared to be sweating in fear that it was about to be consumed. And those fears were well-founded, as not long after, only the paper cone wrapping remained. The coating was quite thick and took a bit of careful use of the teeth to prevent any major spillage, but it was worth the effort. The Cinnadust added some nice texture and extra flavor.

See the cereal pieces?

What makes this cone special is that the coating has tiny pieces of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal embedded in it. There’s not a lot, but it was enough to deliver the distinctive flavor of the classic breakfast staple. If you like Cinnamon Toast Crunch and you like ice cream, then you will enjoy this no matter the time of day.

Purchased Price: $3.19
Size: Small
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 290 calories, 12 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 100 milligrams of sodium, 39 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 30 grams of sugar, and 6 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Dairy Queen Choco Frosted Donut Blizzard

/ / Reviews / 1 Comment

When my kids were little, they would sometimes ask for candy, ice cream, or donuts for breakfast. As a semi-responsible parent, I, of course, said no. Instead, I provided them with a healthy alternative, like syrup-covered pancakes or Cap’n Crunch, which probably had just as much, or perhaps even more sugar.

So maybe I need to call them up and take them to Dairy Queen for its new “Breakfast Collection,” which includes the Fruity Pebbles Shake, Cinnamon Toast Crunch Dipped Cone, and Choco Frosted Donut Blizzard. But after trying the latter, I’m going to suggest they have one of the first two options.

The new Blizzard creation is not bad, but it is not worth setting your alarm for either. As an aside, I was today years old when I learned that Dairy Queen does indeed serve breakfast, and that they have a chicken and gravy burrito, which I now have a burning desire to try. Sadly, and in defense of my ignorance of said breakfast offerings, many Dairy Queen locations do not serve the most important meal of the day, apparently including any in my area.

But back to the review. This new Blizzard includes old-fashioned (or cake) donut pieces, chocolatey icing pieces, and sprinkles mixed with vanilla soft serve. To put it simply, nothing stands out about this Blizzard. The donut pieces are fine, and actually, they are powdered sugar donut pieces according to the ingredient list on the DQ website, but I would have a hard time distinguishing them from a bland, store-bought vanilla cake. They were quite firm and held up well in the ice cream, but they didn’t make much of an impression on my taste buds.

Likewise, the icing pieces bring some chocolate flavor, as expected, but again, it’s nothing distinctive. The sprinkles add a bit of texture and some color if you are taking Instagram photos, but they do nothing for the taste. Overall, it’s not a memorable creation, although it is still ice cream with donuts and chocolate, so there was never any danger of me not reaching the bottom of the cup.

Next time I go to Dairy Queen, I’ll take my chances with one of the other two offerings from the Breakfast Collection, or maybe I’ll take a road trip to the nearest location serving breakfast and see what that chicken and gravy burrito is all about.

Purchased Price: $4.49
Size: Small
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 660 calories, 29 grams of fat, 17 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 300 milligrams of sodium, 89 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 66 grams of sugar, and 13 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Dairy Queen Strawberry Angel Food Cake Blizzard

/ / Reviews / 1 Comment

Dairy Queen Strawberry Angel Food Cake Blizzard with soft serve, strawberry topping and vanilla angel food cake

If it seems like there’s not much you can count on anymore, at least you know Dairy Queen will always deliver at least one new Blizzard every month. Sure, sometimes the “new” Blizzards are just Taco Bell-style rehashes of the same ingredients or repeats from the past, but for April, the fine folks at DQ did include something truly new in the “Countdown to Summer” Blizzard menu.

In addition to returning appearances for S’mores and Cotton Candy, the Strawberry Angel Food Cake Blizzard joins the party with, as you might have guessed, angel food cake pieces and strawberry topping mixed together with a whipped topping.

The not fluffy Angel cake pieces in the Blizzard.

Although this one is not quite accurately named, it is a pleasant addition to the lineup. If you are expecting the cake pieces to be light and airy, like angel food cake, you need to temper your expectations. Likely by necessity, as real pieces of angel food cake would probably crumble and get soggy in a Blizzard, these are more like vanilla pound cake chunks and have a fairly dense texture. They taste good and hold up well in their frosty environment, but they won’t make your taste buds think of angel food cake.

The strawberry topping has a few bits of fruit in it.

The strawberry topping is deliciously sweet with some occasional chunks of soft fruit. As someone who never passes up the chance to tilt up a can of Reddi-Wip and shoot some into my mouth, I also enjoyed having a bit of whipped topping on this, even if it did taste more like Cool Whip. Not that DQ would ask me, but I cannot offer any suggestions to make this one better. It’s about as good as it can be using cake pieces and strawberry flavor, but at the same time, it’s not something that will blow your mind.

The whipped topping adds a nice touch.

If you are looking for a true strawberry and angel food cake experience, I suggest buying or baking yourself a cake and adding some ice cream, strawberries, and whipped cream. But that’s a lot of work, and even though the cake texture of this is a bit different, it is still a tasty way to pass the time until the next new Blizzard flavor is announced.

Purchased Price: $4.99
Size: Small
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 540 calories, 17 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 45 milligrams of cholesterol, 410 milligrams of sodium, 84 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 68 grams of sugar, and 12 grams of protein.

Scroll to Top